Tearstains
by Sunni D. Lockhart
Summary: What if Cloud's geostigma was never cured? How much is Tifa willing to give to save him?


Tearstains

A dark tale of Tifa's everlasting devotion to Cloud…

Disclaimer: Cloud, Tifa and all other characters are owned by Squareenix

Cloud groaned pitifully as Tifa placed another wet cloth onto his purplish arm. Geostigma was a plague brought on by their own planet, punishment for the sins of those who tried to kill it. Tifa squeezed Cloud's hand sadly, 'What did he ever do to deserve this?' she sobbed mentally.

The others knew Cloud would not make it this time. The mark had spread too far, the scarring had run too deep, the poison had already seeped into his lungs. Everyone, including Tifa, knew at this point…it was only a matter of time. Who would've thought the savior of the planet would be killed by the planet itself. It was a bitter, cruel fate, for one who had already suffered so much. Two of his dear friends had been taken from him, five years of his life had been stolen, He was sent on an emotional rollercoaster. He had been drowned in false memories. He had lost sight of everything, but through so much bad he had managed to muddle his way through. None of this would be possible, of course, without Cloud's everlasting companion, Tifa.

Tifa had wiped his tears, gave him meaning in his life again…but she was not rewarded for her tireless effort. She had given Cloud everything he had ever needed, and still he denied her the only thing she had every really wanted. A place in his heart. He valued her above any of the other people in his life, but this was not the lover she craved above all else. She was sure he did not love Aerith, he had told her this. Aerith had always been Zack's, even when Cloud was Zack, that was the only lover for her. She knew he did not love her and there was never a waking moment that she did not feel the pain of this blow to her heart.

Cloud looked up at Tifa with dulled mako eyes. "Teef, are you crying?" he spoke in his deep soft voice. Tifa swiped hastily at her eyes, "N-no! I'm fine." She tried to remain cheerful. He gazed deeply in her eyes, as if to say, 'You're lying.' She forced a smiled, and patted his spikes, "Well, are you all set tonight? Is there anything else I can do?" He turned away from her in shame, "Teef…" he practically whispered. She leaned in close to hear something she was almost certain she would dread. "If I don't make it to tomorrow…" Tifa bit back tears. "Tell Marlene and Denzel I love them." Tifa nodded smoothed her thumb over a seam, and stood from the stool she had been occupying. She glided from the room, filled to the brim with sorrow. After she made sure the children were asleep, and Cloud's door was firmly closed, she flung herself into her own room, and wept uncontrollably into her pillow. She gazed out her window, crimson eyes brimmed with tears, "Aerith… I need to talk to you," She pleaded to the angel statue outside her window.

Tifa found herself, like another before her, standing in a field of lilies. Before her stood the graceful Aerith in all her majesty. "I think I can guess why you're here, Tifa" the flower girl said gently. Tifa twisted her hands together, "Please…is there ANYTHING that can be done?" she fell to her knees in sadness. Aerith's green eyes were clouded over with awe at the woman's desperateness. "There… is one way." Her voice trembled as she spoke. Tifa's head shot up to look her in the face, "Whatever it is, I'll do it!" she said without hesitation. Aerith lowered her eyes to the ground. This would truly test Tifa's care for Cloud. "Someone will have to suffer in his place." Aerith mumbled, "Someone still alive." Tifa knew it would something so extreme, somehow. Standing shakily, she stepped towards Aerith, and clasped her hands in her own. "Please…it would mean everything to me…everything." Aerith couldn't look the martial artist in the eyes. 'He's an idiot' she thought.

Tifa was brought back to reality, sitting on her bed. Before she could stand again, she heard Aerith's voice echoing in her head, "You truly love him, so I will grant your wish." For the first time in a while, Tifa let out a genuine smile. She lied down on her bed, preparing for the worst. "I'm ready, just do it, please," she whispered. Tifa drifted off to sleep with pleasant easiness, but a twinge of sadness.

The next morning, Tifa woke to a stinging sensation from her chest. She clutched at her sternum, hoping to relieve the pain, but to no avail. Lifting her shirt, fearing what she would see, she looked at her breast. Her chest was coated in black-purple scarring; the sign of geostigma poisoning. It hit her like a ton of bricks when she recalled the deal she had made with Aerith last night. She lowered her shirt, and went in search for bandages to wrap her self with.

She found some in her medicine cabinet, the ones she usually gave to Cloud for his arm. 'Cloud!' she thought, realizing his geostigma should be gone now. At that moment, Cloud came pounding on her bedroom door, "Tifa! Tifa! You have to see this!" he called. Hiding the bandages, she went to answer her door before Cloud pounded it off it's hinges. She was met with a huge embrace from the normally reserved swordsman. "Look! It's gone! It's really gone!" he cried bearing his left arm which was as blemish free as materia. She grinned toothily to see him so happy, "Oh Cloud, this is so wonderful!" she embraced him back with just as much vigor if not more. She looked up to see Cloud's rare smile shining clearly on his face. "I'm not sure how this happened! Do you think maybe…Aerith?" he asked her. Tifa didn't want him to know the truth…he would be angry with her. "Yes! It must have been!" she reasoned with him. Cloud looked down at Tifa's shirt to see it covered in a black sticky substance, "Teef, what's that on your shirt?" he asked suddenly curious. She crossed her arms across her chest to conceal it as best as she could, "Oh, um…I spilled some grape juice no it earlier," she excused it quickly.

That night was the most painful Tifa had ever known. The hot searing pain coursing through her chest was irrepressible. The pain was terrible, but she did not dare to cry out for fear of waking Cloud or the children. Tears rolled silently down her cheeks, staining her soft pillow. A jolt of pain racked her body, and finally she could hold it no long longer. She let out a whimpering scream of agony that she prayed would fall on deaf ears. This however was not so as Cloud opened her down a moment later. He cradled her writhing form in his muscled arms, "What's the matter Tifa?" he asked worriedly. Tifa only gazed up at him forlornly, "Cloud…" she moaned softly, "I-I…" but she could not form her words properly. The poison had consumed her lungs and was crushing her heart. She slipped from consciousness, and would not awaken again.

The warrior couldn't believe what had just happened. It had been so quick he wasn't sure if he was still dreaming. He prodded lightly at Tifa's limp form. "…Tifa?" he called, like a lost child. She shook her a little harder this time, "Stop it Tifa…" he whimpered, "Tifa?!" he cried. He buried his head against the crook of her neck, crying hysterically. "Please… make this not real. This isn't real. Not real, not real," he cried to himself miserably. 'Put her down, Cloud,' he heard a saddened voice in his head. He pulled himself up off of Tifa, "Aerith? What happened?" There was a long drawn out pause. 'She wanted you to live so badly. She thought you deserved life more than anyone else, including herself, so she was willing to take the fall for you.' This took a few moments for him to wrap his mind around. Hesitantly, he lifted her black-stained shirt. He wasn't too shocked when he saw the heavy scars of geostigma printed across her chest. He lowered her shirt and gazed out the window at the angel statue. "I can't believe she would do something like this…" he murmured. Aerith sighed, 'She loves you, you know.' His blue eyes welled up with tears, "I thought she knew I loved her back." He could almost feel Aerith's anger, 'How could she know? You never even told her and you never gave her much hinting that you loved her!' Cloud glared at the floor, "I didn't know how else to show her! I just wasn't sure how…" Cloud slumped back to Tifa moaning miserably, "Tifa, Tifa…" Aerith no longer felt compelled to talk to the wreckage of a man, 'All that she did for you…everything she sacrificed for your benefit…you don't deserve her Cloud. You don't deserve her love or devotion or any of it!' With that her voice vanished; leaving a broken Cloud Strife to wallow in his sorrow of the loss of the last stable thing in his life.

The day of Tifa's release to the lifestream was a solemn one, indeed. Marlene and Denzel, who had seen enough death to understand what had happened, wept bitterly for the loss of their adoptive mother. Barrett, who thought of Tifa as his own daughter, was furious that she had died for the sake of an idiot like Cloud. The other AVALANCE members were present, and even a few turks. Cloud, however, was absent. As the woman's lifeless body sank into the lifestream, the whole planet seemed a little less cheerful than before.

For there never was a tale of so much woe, than this is of Tifa Lockhart…and her love for Cloud Strife.

Author note: Yes, I know, not very good. Just an idea I had. If you guys can tell, I took the last line from Romeo and Juliet. Tweaked it a little, but I thought it fit ok! AS this is my first story on good ol' , you know just how important it is that I get reviews! So help a poor kid out, ok?


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